history

As you may know, I am the new Associate Minister for Mission, Social Justice, and Community Action at Middle Collegiate Church.  I am pleased to announce that Danny Glover is supporting our mission by participating in a benefit for our mission.  Our work includes a long-standing meal and community hour for those living with HIV, feeding the homeless in Tompkins Square Park, working with LGBTI homeless youth, a long-term commitment to the just rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, and expanding justice works in the Middle East and Africa.  Please purchase your tickets to support our mission today.

Until justice reigns,
Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou

Emmett, Down in My Heart featuring Danny Glover, Kathleen Chalfant, Kenny Leon and the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir

October 6th, 8pm
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
New York, New York

We've written before about Bayard Rustin, FOR's racial justice organizer (and war resister) who led the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation and became a chief adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King on the use of nonviolent social change tactics.

Yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of Rustin's death. Artist Phil Blank has created a poster illustration of Rustin (at left, click to enlarge and read description), featuring the story of his 1947 arrest as part of the Journey of Reconciliation. (Read more about this historic action against segregation.)

"Triumph of Triumph" is knowledgeable observation written by Hamid Dabashi, Professor of History at Columbia University. You can download this file here.

I would also recommend reading Mark Johnson's review of Dabashi's latest book Iran: A People Interrupted, published in the Spring 2008 issue of Fellowship magazine (pages 40-41, review not available online).

As I have written before, FOR organizer Bayard Rustin had an impact on my small North Carolina hometown when he was arrested here during the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation.

Phill Blank is a Carrboro, NC artist who is known for his skillful and surreal portraits. His work is often inspired by Buddhist ideals or by local culture and history. Earlier this year, he created this illustration of Bayard Rustin:

Read on for the artist's statement published in the Carrboro Citizen:

Last night while at a farewell party for outgoing FOR Development Director Anita Fee, my wife Evelyn and I chatted with George Houser. I knew of him mainly as a leader both in the civil rights struggles of the ‘60’s and also in the addressing of contemporary African issues, though I am sure there are myriad other things he has done for peace and justice throughout the years. “I could learn so much from you,” I told him. “Are you giving any talks or leading any workshops these days?”

“Every now and then,” he said. “There’s an article in the local newspaper just today about a visit I made to one of the local schools.” You can see that article and an accompanying video HERE, an excerpt is below.

Sometimes music surrounds and embeds us so fully as a community that we lose track of how inspired and driven its presence is in our lives as the result of a single artist. We all know the name of Pete Seeger, the artists he has collected around himself (especially as the Weavers), and many of his best known songs. What I had lost track of was how much at the intersection of critical moments in the peace movement Pete Seeger has stood and given voice to our song of freedom and democracy.

In honor of the Academy Awards this weekend, I want to present my own award for the Best Film With a Conscience of 2007. Amazingly, this Hollywood flick had big stars, TV promotion, an amazing story based on real events, and beautiful cinematography - and yet it did not receive a single Oscar nomination!

I'm speaking of The Great Debaters. Perhaps because of its association with Oprah Winfrey's production company, or maybe because of the sappy trailer depicting what seemed to be a heartwarming tale of overcoming simple adversity, most people never heard that this film actually tells several powerful and important stories about the challenges of addressing violence, racism, and classism in the Jim Crow era and today. Especially of interest to FOR supporters is the depiction of CORE co-founder James Farmer who was on the Wiley College Debate team led by poet, teacher, and community organizer Melvin Tolson (played by Denzel Washington).

It's not often that I get to cross-post entries to my work blog (here) and my local politics blog (in Chapel Hill, NC), but I am thrilled to do so today!

On Monday night, local activist and historian Dr. Yonni Chapman, PhD petitioned the Chapel Hill Town Council to support the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP's effort to have a historical marker placed at the location of the former bus station that was visited by Bayard Rustin and others during the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, which is now known as "the first freedom ride." What follows is an excerpt of his presentation (PDF). I recommend reading the proposal which has more context and details.

This is a really great story, and I am especially proud of the amount of support the riders saw from Rev. Charles Jones and other progressives in Chapel Hill, although it was in the face of some well-connected racists, from the bus driver to the judge, who made sure that Rustin and his supporters paid a price for challenging white privilege.

Today's New York Times featured a fabulous profile of long-time FOR leader George Houser. "Following a Kindly Light, and Casting One" by Peter Applebaum, appearing in his enjoyable "Our Town" Sunday column, highlighted a bit of the legacy of this extraordinary human who we are incredibly proud to call one of our own.

The Sept. 17 edition of The New Yorker, features a commentary by Hendrik Hertzberg which recalls the work of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in the 1950s. The essay describes the departure of Rustin, a nonviolence organizer who mentored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his period of leadership at the Fellowship of Reconciliation. It's a fascinating "then and now" comparison with the current political debates in Washington.